Firing follows hazing scandal that canceled season

Nov. 14, 2013

Written by

Tom Fleischmann

ITHACA — Former Cornell lacrosse star Rob Pannell took to Twitter on Thursday, saying that there was “no better man for the job” of Big Red head coach than Ben DeLuca.

Apparently, the university administration feels otherwise.

The school on Thursday morning announced the firing of third-year coach DeLuca, approximately two months after a hazing scandal within the team that led to the cancellation of the Big Red’s fall schedule. Assistant coach Matt Kerwick, a former head coach at Hobart College and Jacksonville University, will take over as the interim head coach.

Director of Athletics Andy Noel said in a statement released Thursday that it was “a difficult decision, but our students are our first priority and there is no doubt now that new leadership is required.”

DeLuca was unavailable for comment, and Noel refused to comment further than what was in the statement. He expressed confidence that Kerwick would be able to guide the team while a national search for DeLuca’s successor is conducted.

“Matt is a proven leader,” he said. “I have great confidence in Matt’s ability to lead the team in this time of transition. We are also confident in our ability to attract an exceptional head coach to lead the team forward in the tradition of Cornell Lacrosse.”

The action comes approximately 51/2 months after DeLuca led the Big Red to the national semifinals, where it fell to eventual champion Duke. Cornell finished 14-4 last season and won the Ivy League title with a 6-0 record.

In mid-September, Cornell University announced that the entire Big Red men’s lacrosse team has been placed on temporary suspension, following an alleged hazing incident that occured Sept. 13. According to spokesman John Carberry of the Cornell press relations office, the team was being disciplined for alleged “coerced consumption of alcohol by underage freshmen.”

The suspension cost the Big Red appearances in a pair of exhibition tournaments, including the second annual Capital Lacrosse Invitational on Oct. 13 in Bethesa, Md. The tournament supports and promotes the Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation, which is named in memory of George Boiardi, a former Cornell captain who died in 2004 after being struck in the chest by a lacrosse ball during a game with Binghamton University.

A four-year letter winner on defense for the Big Red, DeLuca played for three years under legendary coach Richie Moran before becoming a captain his senior year in 1998 under former head coach Dave Pietramala. He was voted the team’s outstanding senior athlete for his leadership and dedication on and off the field.

Pannell, this year’s Tewaaraton Award winner as college lacrosse player of the year, was reached by phone Thursday evening and expressed disappointment at the firing, calling DeLuca “a father figure.”

“I was very surprised. I don’t think myself or anyone else expected that something was going to happen, especially at this point in the season,” said the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history. “I’m just very shocked and thinking about Coach DeLuca.”

The four-time All-America attackman, currently a member of the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse, refused to speculate on the reasons for the firing, and had nothing but praise for his former coach.

“He was a great coach on the field and a friend off the field,” he said. “If there was anything in life you ever needed, whether it was lacrosse-related or school-related or personal, he was the first one to be there if you needed him. There’s no man that loves the Cornell lacrosse program more than that guy.”

“I was upset and pretty angry (when I heard the news),” said Steve Mock, a 2013 graduate and third-team All-America attackman this past season. “He was a tremendous head coach in my time there, and did a great job. It comes as a complete surprise that this would happen at this time.”

Mock said he spoke with DeLuca a few weeks ago and “didn’t suspect anything like this was coming.”

DeLuca, 1998 Cornell graduate and a member of the lacrosse program for a total of 17 years, was hired as the team’s head coach in June 2010. Prior to that, he served as the team’s top assistant coach from 2003-2009, and coached for two seasons following his graduation before leaving college athletics for the business world.

In his three years as head coach, DeLuca led the team to an overall record of 37-11, including a 16-2 record in Ivy League play with two league titles. His teams participated in the NCAA tournament in two of his three seasons, advancing to the quarterfinals in 2011 and the national semifinals this past spring.

In August, DeLuca was selected to serve the 2014 United States Men’s National Lacrosse team as a member of the Player Selection Committee.